Power of Two
by StoryDiva
Summary: My first charmed fic. Terribly angsty with original characters. Chris has a twin sister and she's in trouble--but is it wyatt from the future or another evil all together.
1. Just Another Day at the Halliwell House

**Title: ** Power of Two 

**Author:** storydivagir [at] hotmail [dot] com 

**Disclaimer: ** The story of Charmed and the characters are not mine. Well, Eddie and Peyton are mine, but yeah, I'm mean no infringement. 

**A/N: **This is a basically A/U story with original characters taken from the sixth season storyline. Feedback always appreciated. 

**Chapter One: Just Another Day at the Halliwell House**

"You were supposed to stay at the school, Piper. We were going to handle things until after the baby was born," Leo replied. He motioned to Chris and said, "To keep the both of you safe." 

"Well, I couldn't very well stand by while some outside force kept coming after my family, could I?" 

Phoebe sighed, "Actually sweetie that's exactly what you're supposed to do." 

"Yeah, we've got it covered," Paige added, though her voice inferred otherwise. 

Piper crossed her arms over her chest and stated, "Whatever is going on might require the three of us." She motioned to Wyatt, "I didn't want to leave him at the school without me-but we need to keep him out of harm's way." 

"Mom" 

"Don't 'mom' me, Chris," Piper replied. She glanced at the mess in the living room from the attack and said, "What do we know about our attackers?" 

"I got the feeling that this wasn't your normal get-rid-of-the-Charmed one's assault," Phoebe stated. Upon the bewildered expressions of her sisters, she explained, "They were afraid we were going to stop them from completing some sort of ceremony." 

"What ceremony?" 

"I don't know. Their emotions were too chaotic to read-but it's something bad." 

"Isn't it always?" Paige replied. 

"There is a group I've been tracking the past few months called the Scorios. They require large amounts of power and energy to feast on in order for them to continue to thrive. If they were to capture someone strong enough, they could become invincible," Chris explained. 

"The Scorios? What kind of demon is that?" 

"It's a bunch of different types of demons actually. It's the equivalent of a demon secret society. Their one goal is to find someone powerful enough to allow them to take over the world," Chris replied. He shrugged and said, "You must have some link to this power source that they're searching for." 

"Or they think the three of you are a threat-" 

"I don't know," Chris interrupted. He focused on his father for a minute and explained, "In the future, they're a very weak group." 

"How do you know that?" 

"Because Wyatt made sure of it." 

"Oh," Piper replied. She didn't like hearing about her son as anything but the sweet baby he was at the moment-it was the one time she was glad that Chris remained so tight-lipped about the future. 

"But something must-mom, you might want to get Wyatt somewhere safe. It's no secret that Wyatt possesses a great amount of power and this might be what happensmaybe they take him, but it ends up back firing." 

"And turns Wyatt evil," Paige finished. 

Chris shrugged and simply said, "Yeah." 

"Great. No pressure there," Paige replied. 

"No, I get the feeling they've already begun the process with whomever they've taken," Phoebe countered. 

"It could be a trap to lure us out in the open and away from Wyatt," Leo replied. 

"So you're telling me that there is some sort of gathering of demons that's forming-and they have some special leader to induct?" Paige questioned, glancing at her sisters before focusing back on Chris and Leo. 

"If this is what turns Wyatt, they'll regroup and attack again," Chris replied. He had a weird feeling in his gut that told him otherwise though. Something about this whole thing wasn't right. He sighed and said, "Either way, it needs to be handled." 

"Does this special leader need to be eliminated?" 

Chris shrugged and turned to Leo. Leo said, "We have no idea if this leader is an innocent or not-I have faith that you'll be able to figure out what has to be done." He pointed to Chris and said, "I want you to stay here and watch Wyatt." 

"No." 

"It might be dangerous," Leo countered. 

"Your father's right, Chris," Piper replied. 

"If this is what turns Wyatt evil-then this is the reason I came back here." 

"Son" 

"I have to do this. Besides, it's still my job to watch out for them as their whitelighter," Chris stated, pointing to the three sisters. 

Leo sighed and said, "You're as stubborn as your mother." 

"Yes, and we all know that your father is _always _a man of reason," Piper countered with a roll of the eyes. 

Chris smiled at that. He still harbored a lot of anger toward Leo, but as Phoebe pointed outthere was time to change things like that. Maybe his trip _was_ to do more than save Wyatt, maybe he did still want a relationship with his father after all. He said, "I'll go check with some of my contacts-" 

The sound of the doorbell interrupted the small pow-wow. The girls looked at each other, but no one moved. Piper said, "The house is a mess." 

Paige replied, "Yeah, but we can't ignore the door. All of our cars are here and the lights are on. People know we're home." 

"But what if it's Jason? I don't want to see him right now," Phoebe said. 

When Paige opened the door, Chris winced at the voice echoing from the foyer. There was a bit of shouting and Paige ended up flying through the air. He saw Piper and Phoebe ready to react as a young guy busted into the room and pointed at Chris. Chris had to move quickly and orbed over to the guy to move him out of the line of fire. When they reappeared, they were met with four sets of curious gazes. 

Chris hadn't even had time to let the appearance of this person sink in until that moment. He glanced at the young man and said, "How the hell did you get here, Edward? And exactly what was that back there?" 

"Who's Edward? Do we know an Edward?" Paige questioned as she rubbed her shoulder from where she hit it on the ground. 

"We don't, but Chris appears to," Piper replied with a nod in her son's direction. 

Paige followed Piper's gaze to the scruffy light-haired man next to Chris. Paige smiled and said, "Sexy accent, great hair, bad attitude. Totally my type." 

"Now is not the time for flirting," Phoebe chided. 

"Can I help it if the only cute guys I see anymore are related to me or demons?" 

Chris groaned into his hands and said, "I think I should take Eddie somewhere to talk. He has some explaining to do and-" 

"Right here will do," Leo replied. Chris knew that look well enough from future escapades to realize that there was no arguing this point. And, frankly, the only thought on his mind was that if Edward was here, something bad had occurred. 

Edward glanced at the girls and said, "I'm sorry about my entrance. I didn't mean to harm anyone, but it's imperative that I speak with Chris." 

Chris studied his friend's face and repeated his question, "How did you get here?" 

"I used the portal Peyton created for you-" 

"What? But you're notwhy would she let you do that?" Chris wondered aloud. He knew better than anyone that Peyton wouldn't let anyone near that wormhole, especially Edward. He was as certain of that as he was of his existence. "She knew that reopening it could-" 

"She didn't, Chris. I did." 

"What the hell is going on, Eddie? Peyton would never risk your safety like thatunless she doesn't know you're here." 

"Um, hello, sweetie, do you want to introduce us to your little friend? Since he likes to make such grandiose entrances it would be rude otherwise," Piper said. 

Chris realized that everyone was watching this display and before he could get Eddie out of the room, Edward's vision turned to his mother and aunts. His mouth gaped slightly. He had been so determined to get to Chris, he hadn't even focused on Paige when he forced himself through. He stared at Piper and pointed before turning to Chris and saying, "It's your mom." 

"Yes, I know that." 

"But it's been so long since-" 

"No talk about the future," Chris ordered. He understood where this was coming from. It had taken all his control not to rush over and hug his mother the first time he saw her again. Chris knew what Eddie was feeling, but his patience was at an all-time low. He knew something had to be wrong and he needed to know what it was. He said, "Eddie, please stay focused. Where the hell is Peyton?" 

"That's why I'm here, man." 

"Who is Peyton?" Piper asked. 

Before Chris could offer any sort of explanation, Phoebe felt a premonition hit her. She shut her eyes and replied quietly, "Your daughter." She paused and concentrated her attention on Chris, attempting to read him, but over the past few weeks he had built up walls that not even she seemed able to penetrate. She asked, "She wasn't in the original vision I had, but you have a sister, don't you Chris?" 

Chris sighed, exchanging glances with Eddie, and said, "Yes." 

"A sister? I have a daughter too?" Piper replied. She folded her arms and narrowed her gaze on Chris and asked, "Why did you fail to mention that, young man?" 

"I didn't think-" he sighed again. He and Peyton had made a pact about this beforehand-to attempt to keep as much knowledge of the future from their family as possible and let them find out in due time. But when he noticed everyone staring at him, he wondered if that had been the right thing to do. He knew he would have to deal with their questions, but at the moment, his thoughts were on Eddie and his sister. He offered placatingly, "I hadn't planned on telling you who I was either until it sorta became an emergency to my ongoing existence." 

"Peyton is our daughter?" Leo asked. Chris closed his eyes and nodded. "We're going to have a little girl." 

Piper shook her head, "But how? When? I mean, Leo and I aren't even together." 

"That didn't stop you the last time," Paige commented. 

Piper pointed at her sister and said, "You shush." She then focused on Chris and said, "You explain." 

Chris glanced at Eddie before stepping closer to his mother. He placed his hand on Piper's stomach and said, "Peyton is my twin sister." 

"What a minute? There are two of you in here? But how-what? Are you sure? The doctor hasn't mentioned anything about twins. Shouldn't he know? Isn't that his job?" 

"Twins?" Leo repeated. "In magic that means-" 

Chris cut his father off and said, "I'm the oldest by two minutes." He and his father exchanged knowing glances, but said nothing else. Chris looked at his mother and explained, "Peyton, Bianca and Eddie were the one who sent me back here, but Peyton and I-we knew this was something we had to do to fix things. We had a plan of action to attempt to fix the future. I would come back here to try to thwart whatever came after Wyatt and Peyton would make sure that Wyatt didn't find out long enough to insure that I could get away-" Chris stopped when a horrible thought occurred to him. He turned to Eddie and said, "He doesn't know, right? He would be furious andmy god, he didn't hurt her, did he?" 

"No, noChris, c'mon. Even at his worst, Wyatt would never hurt Peyton. He can't even if he wanted to." 

"What does _that _mean?" Piper questioned. 

"It's best if you don't know." 

"I'm sick of hearing that, Chris. I can't believe that Wyatt would hurt his own sister." 

Chris pretended not to hear his mother. That was not a conversation he wanted to have with her ever. She was hurting enough because of the Wyatt-turns-evil bombshell and he refused to point out that he already had tried to kill Chris. Chris focused his attention on Eddie. He said, "We know that Wyatt can't do anything to Peyton, but I'm not sure he is aware of that. I've had a bad feeling all morning, Eddie, and then you appear. You're here and she's notwhich means-" 

"What happened to my daughter?" Piper finished. Leo squeezed her shoulder and she said, "She might not be born yet and her brother might have failed to inform me of her existence" Piper paused to give Chris a stern look before continuing, "but I'm her mother. I love her and want to know what's going on." 

Eddie pushed aside his own pain and worries and stated, "Have you heard of a group of demons that work together in the name of darkness-the Scorios or something?" He noticed everyone in the room visibly react. He glared at Chris when he didn't say anything and prompted, "What? What's going on?" 

"The Scorios attacked here this morning," Leo replied before Chris could. 

"But they have no real power yet-" 

"Why would the Scorios want Peyton?" Paige asked. 

"The Scorios had an alliance with Wyatt for awhile, fearing he'd use his power on them if they attempted to fight back, but he reneged on his end of the deal. They took her, Chris. I'm sure of it. At first, we all thought it was a bargaining tool of sorts-get out of their alliance with Wyatt and maintain their freedoms in exchange for Peyton's safe return. But no demands have been madeI went undercover a bit, but-" Eddie paused. He met Chris' gaze. The two of them were fully aware of how powerful Peyton was, a secret they had been fighting to keep hidden from Wyatt and everyone else. "Word is that they want her powers, Chris." 

"They'd be too scared of Wyatt to do anything," Chris countered. 

"The Scorios were the first to open wormholes for time travel. That's why I'm here. I think they took her to a time when Wyatt's powers were limited. We have to find her." 

"If what you're saying is true, these demons could've taken her anywhere," Paige said. 

"There must be a way to find her," Piper said. 

"How?" Paige asked. 

"Couldn't we do a location spell?" Piper asked. She pointed to her stomach and said, "We have a link to her already." 

"But we don't know where in time she's been taken too," Chris argued. 

"I don't think any of that is necessary," Leo replied. He stepped closer to his son and said, "If they captured Peyton and brought her here, it would explain why they came after the charmed ones this morning." 

"And when they realize that their warriors failedthey can travel through time without a problem. They could move her to a location that we can't reach," Chris replied, the worry inside him growing more with each passing second. 

"So we locate her before that happens," Paige stated. 

"I'll look up ways to vanquish these things," Phoebe said, hurrying off upstairs. On her way passed she squeezed her sister's hand and asserted, "We'll fix this." 

Piper didn't say anything. Chris could tell she wasn't handling the news well. He could understand the feeling. His sister was far too important to not only him, but the world for anything to happen to her. If things went as badly as prophesized after Wyatt's transition, he wouldn't be able to stop him without Peyton's aid. Their powers were interwoven in one another. He kicked at an imaginary rock on the floor and said, "Dammit. How did they get near her? She was supposed to be protected." 

"We're not sure." 

"This is my fault," Chris muttered. He felt tears boiling below the surface, but he refused to cry. He didn't want anyone to see him like this and he was afraid that if he gave into his worries, they would only manifest themselves. He repeated, "This is my fault. I should've been there for her." 

"Chris-" Eddie began. 

This caught Piper's attention and she cut Eddie off, "What? Honey, how could this be your fault?" 

"We agreed that I should be the one to come back because she had more control over Wyatt than anyone elsebut when I ended up back there a few months ago-my crossing back and forth must've done something. God knows Wyatt was mad enough at me to kill Bianca. If Wyatt figured out that it was Peyton who created the portal and spell that was responsible for getting me back here" 

"He would've forced Peyton to help him so that he could come for you, Chris. He would've done it right away. You know thatand he would've made Peyton suffer," Eddie stated. 

"I thought you said he wouldn't hurt his sister," Piper countered. 

Chris rolled his eyes and Eddie explained, "He wouldn't physically hurt Peyton. He can't, but Wyatt gets off on a person's emotional distress. He would've found a way to make her suffer. He would've hurt someone she loved." 

"He could know. This could be his way of getting back at me. I knew this might backfire on us and I should've had a plan in place. I should've sent her back here and stayed to deal with him. First, I get Bianca" Chris' voice faltered as he thought of his fiancé and the last time he saw her. He would be damned if he lost his sister too. He curled his hand into a fist and said, "If something happens to Peyton, I'll be responsible for it." 

"That's not true, son," Leo replied. He placed his hands on his son's shoulders. It was a tentative gesture at first, frightened that Chris would push him away, but when Chris didn't react at all, Leo squeezed Chris' shoulders and said, "We'll find your sister, Chris. I promise you." 

"I'm going to hold you to thatdad." 

Leo tried not to smile, but it was the first time since his arrival that Chris had referred to him as anything other than Leo or bastard. He patted his son's back and said, "And no more blame-placing, okay? We need to come up with a plan of some sort. Quickly." 

Chris nodded and said, "Okay, you're right, but I need to talk to Eddie for a minute." 

"Whatever you need to say can be done right here. We're involved in this, Chris. You can't shut us out, honey," Piper replied. 

Chris nodded, but said, "You're right, and I appreciate the offer, but there are some things you can't know. If you find out too much about the future, it could change everything for the worse." 

"Chris has a point," Leo stated. He glanced at the girls and said, "We'll give the locating spell a try while Chris gets caught up on things with his friend." Leo started to herd Piper and Paige toward the stairs. 

Chris and Eddie exchanged looks. Eddie shoved his hands into his pockets, but Paige pointed at the two of them and said, "I think the rest of us are missing something." 

"I feel like I'm missing _a lot_," Piper commented. She peered at Chris appraisingly and asked, "Chris? Anything you want to share with the rest of us?" 

Chris shrugged and replied with a grin, "I guess it wouldn't hurt" 

"What?" Piper asked. 

"Eddie is actually my brother-in-law." 

Leo stopped moving. He looked paralyzed whereas Piper's reaction was to glance back and forth between Chris and Eddie several times. She grabbed Eddie's hand from his pocket and sure enough there was a platinum band resting on his ring finger. She said, "I'm hallucinating. I mean, I have to be, right?" 

"Eddie is Peyton's husband." 

"Oh. I'm a dirty old auntie who hit on her niece's husband," Paige replied with a look of revulsion. 

Eddie forced a small smile in her direction and said, "It's okay. If it's any consolation, I used to have a crush on you when I was younger." 

"Really? Was it-" Paige inquired. 

Piper rolled her eyes and cut her sister off, "Fascinating as that isyou're my daughter's husband?" 

"Yes." 

"She's married? But you're twenty-twoso young," Piper paused when she noticed the look on Eddie's face and she felt her worries for her daughter disappear. Who was she to judge? She had married someone who had died in the 1940's. Not to mention, Edward looked so fragile-his eyes were a dark blue that almost gave them the same green coloring as her son's but much duller and lacking any spark. She might not have been an empathic like Phoebe, but it was obvious that the young man was suffering and that he loved Peyton. Wasn't that all she could hope for? This comforted her somehow and eased the worry she was feeling at the moment. It was amazing the fear she had for a child she hadn't even met yet and the happiness that encircled her knowing that Eddie cared for her daughter, especially since Chris had already let it slip that she didn't live to see her children as adults. Piper wrapped her arms around Eddie and hugged him. He remained stiff for a moment, but slowly gave into the strength of someone else's arms. She stroked his hair and said reassuringly, "We'll find her and bring her home, right Leo?" 

Leo remained quiet, still too stunned to process anything. First he found out that Piper was pregnant again, then he found out that she was pregnant with Chris, who was standing before them as an adult and someone he had treated terribly since his arrivalnow Piper was having twins, his daughter had been kidnapped from her future, and she was married. How was he supposed to return to the upper realm and leave Piper to handle this alone? He needed to be here for his family. He needed to be here for Chris and prove to him that he could be a good father. And he was pretty sure he had to have the "you hurt my daughter, I hunt you down and kill you" speech with the guy in the leather jacket. 

"Uh, dad?" 

"Wh-what?" 

Chris noticed the dumbfounded expression on his father's face and cleared his throat loudly. Leo glanced at him and Chris replied, "I really need to talk to Eddie privately for a minute. We'll join you guys upstairs as soon as we're done." 

"I'm not sure-" 

Before Leo could finish his response, Chris had grabbed Eddie and orbed them to the top of the Golden Gate Bridge. Eddie looked down and gasped. He pushed his hair back off his face and groaned before pointing at Chris and stating, "You're as bad as your sister. You know I hate this stuff." 

"That's why we do it." 

Eddie rolled his eyes and replied, "Yes, I do recall a favorite game of yours from childhood. Torment the ambassador's son." 

Chris placed his hand on his best friend's shoulders and said, "Peyton and I only tortured those we loved-a side effect of growing up with Wyatt for a big brother." 

Eddie smiled as he thought of the three of them when they were younger. He had met Chris at their private school in the third grade. No one else would talk to him because of his English accent-as if it was some sort of disease-but Chris dared to be different. They became partners-in-crime at their school and, after the class day was done, they would be joined by Peyton in their endeavors. "The Terrible Three" was what Piper had coined them years ago. Eddie replied, "I still remember the first time the two of you brought me up here like it was yesterday. We were fourteen. I had returned from my summer in Burford with my mother" 

"That was the summer that my mother died." 

"Yes. Peyton was so closed off about everything and you were almost as bad. I tried to bully you into talking to me, remember? You got so mad that you slugged me and blurted out the truth about your family. I thought you were nutters until you grabbed me and brought me up here." 

"I thought Peyton was going to kill me-" 

This surprised Edward. She had never mentioned anything of the sort to him. He knew she had always been protective of him, the reason he probably avoided more than one beating at Wyatt's hands growing up, but she was even more protecting of Chris. Eddie eyed Chris suspiciously and said, "Since when? I was pretty sure I caught a glimmer of mischief in her eye that day too." 

Chris chuckled, "That's because the look on your face was priceless, but Peyton thought I enjoyed it a bit too much. She was mad at me for the rest of the day." Chris nudged Eddie and said, "Even then I knew she loved you." 

Eddie smiled at that and said, "Too bad it took me another year or so to figure it out, huh? I was still living under the notion that I only tolerated her existence because you were my best mate." 

Chris met his friend's gaze and read his mind easily. He said, "We're gonna get her back, Eddie." 

"We have to." 

"What was Wyatt's reaction to the news?" 

"Anger. It's his response to everything these days, Chris, but you know that." 

"Yeah. To say that my big brother has anger management issues would be putting it mildly," Chris replied. He glanced out at the sky and asked, "Did he send any spies undercover to get Peyton back? Was he watching you?" 

"Wyatt wants me to handle this. His exact words were 'your wife, your problem' as I recall," Eddie paused and laughed mirthlessly. "As if I would do nothing and trust him to resolve this bloody mess. What your brother lacks in diplomacy could fill the Pacific Ocean." Eddie glanced down at the people moving about below them and said, "He does want to be informed if she's been hurt though." 

"Peyton is his weak spot." 

"I know. In a way, I think he wishes she would be gone because she's the last of his humanity." 

"Yeah, but he can't hurt her. It would be the end of him," Chris said. As the severity of that statement sunk in, he added, "I only hope that the Scorios haven't realized that or it might be too late." 

"Don't say that," Eddie replied. He glanced nervously out at San Francisco and said, "I barely remember a time when the world felt like this. I still have vivid memories of how it used to look prior to Wyatt's fun with dragons, but the energy here is so different. There's still promise." 

"It's definitely strange." 

"I hope you're able to fix things, Chris. I'd like my kids to grow up in a world like this." 

Chris laughed, "It's hardly perfect, but it's better. It's strange. I think I'm closer to two-year-old Wyatt than I ever was to him growing up." 

Eddie nodded and said, "Things have to work out." 

"They will." 

"I didn't want to damage your plan, but I couldn't-" 

"I know," Chris replied. He patted Eddie on the back and said, "You did the right thing." 

"Peyton was the only one strong enough to conceal the wormhole she created from Wyatt. If he did find out about it, I can't guarantee that this wasn't one of his outrageous schemes to lure you out of hiding." 

"Big brother thinks I'm in hiding, does he?" 

"He's too egotistical to think otherwise. He can't imagine you being able to help him. He believes he's doing you a favor by not hunting you down and killing you. He likes to remind Peyton of that as well as point out that keeping me and Peyton alive is a gift. He doesn't realize that if he ever did anything, Peyton would destroy him." 

"That is exactly what I don't want. I don't want her to bare that burden." 

"You shouldn't have to either, Chris." 

"Hopefully I won't, but I'm her big brother and there is no way in hell I'm sacrificing my sister for our other psycho sibling." 

"She's accepted that might be her fate," Eddie replied. He met Chris' bewildered expression and said, "I keep telling her that I won't let her do it, Chris. I can't let her do it, but she's Peyton and she's so damn stubborn and" 

"What are you saying?" 

"I'm saying that I can't be completely sure that your sister hasn't hatched some crazy plan that involves her using herself as a means to an end." 

"You told me you had this covered. You told me you would keep her from acting on any of those hair-brained, self-sacrificing schemes of hers!" Chris shouted. None of his anger was directed at Eddie. Eddie was the one person who loved his sister as much, if not more, than he did. But it slipped out and Chris regretted it the minute he saw the anguish etched on his friend's face. 

Eddie gritted his teeth, "Do you really think I want this? To be a widower at twenty-three?" Eddie sat down on one of the beams of the bridge and stared off into space. He glanced up at Chris and said, "I tried to reassure herto tell her that you had everything coveredbut every day Wyatt got more powerful and every day I saw that look in her eye when she'd smile at me." 

"The look?" 

"It was the one that she used to say your mother gave the two of you that morning." 

Chris shook his head, "Defeat." 

Eddie nodded and said, "I tried to ignore it. I thought that if I didn't think about the possibilities, if I didn't let her focus on it, everything would be okayand then we had this stupid talk recently." 

"About?" 

"How much she loved me, but what the price of being a Halliwell entailed. I didn't want to hear it. I tried to change the subject, but she wouldn't let it go. She kept carping on about how strong she knew I was and that I needed to prepare to live a full life even if she wasn't around-" 

"Why would she say that unless-" 

"Unless she knew something the rest of us didn't? Yeah, I realize that now." 

"What the hell was she thinking? She swore to me-" 

"She's the girl, Chris. Females in your family don't live long lives." 

Chris couldn't deny it. He knew all too well what happened to the women in his family. It didn't matter how much those around them attempted to keep them safe-it was like they were magnets for the grim reaper. His words came out as little more than exhalations, "No, they don't." 

Eddie punched at the air and said, "I should've tied her up and locked her in our apartment. I should've insisted we go visit my father in London when things with Wyatt began to spiral further out of control. I should've done _something _to keep her safe." 

"We don't even know that Peyton set out to get captured. And if she did" Chris took a few deep breathes-in and out, in and out-until he felt a bit calmer. He continued, "if she did this, there was no way you could've stopped her. I'm sorry for yelling at you, Eddie, because we both know what Peyton's like." 

Eddie quickly pushed a few tears from his eyes and replied, "I'm sorry too and I'm so sorry about Bianca. Peyton tried to heal her, but we were too late getting there." 

Chris pushed back his own tears and said, "We'll save them both and maybe Wyatt while we're at it." 

"I give you so much credit. I know how devoted you were to Bianca, mate. I was with you when you were picking out the engagement ring-" Eddie's voice cracked and a sob escaped. He shook it away and managed to get out, "I'm not nearly as strong as your sister appears to think I am. I need her. She's all I've known my whole life." 

Chris sat down next to Eddie and draped his shoulder around his best friend. In many ways, Eddie was more of a brother to him than Wyatt ever had been. It was true that Wyatt wasn't always a power-hungry freak, but all the good memories between him and his big brother had been wiped out by all the bad he caused. Chris said, "Neither of us will have to be strong like that. Trust me to fix this. That's why I'm able to hold it together-because I believe that Bianca will be there when I get backand so will my sister. Trust me, Eddie." 

"You're the only one I do trust to help me. That's why I came here. You have to save her, Chris." 

"I will and if I find out that Peyton decided to act on her stupid martyr complex, you better believe she and I will be exchanging a few words." 

Eddie laughed, "Sometimes you're the only one she'll listen to." 

"It's the twin thing." 

"I'm used to it by now. I grew up watching the two of you, remember?" 

Chris smiled despite the circumstances and said, "I have to admitit's good to see a friendly face, man, even if it's because of something bad. I've missed you." 

Eddie hugged Chris and said, "We've missed you too. Peyton won't admit that of course." 

"Of course." 

"And she'd kill me for saying anything to the contrary, but she was up here trying to reach out to you from time to time. I think she went through telepathic withdrawal after you left." 

"There's been more than a few times when I've tried to reach out to her-so many situations that I knew Peyton would know how to handle or times when she would be able to properly scold me for letting my temper get in the way of things" Chris paused and smiled again. He and his sister had always been able to communicate without words. It used to drive his mother crazy when they were little-she would become convinced that the two of them were plotting something and she was usually right. He glanced at Eddie as a thought dawned on him. He said, "Why didn't I think of that earlier?" 

"What?" 

"I might be able to reach her." 

"But it's been months since the two of you" 

"That doesn't matter. If she really was brought back to this time, I should be able to contact her." 

"What if the Scorios can sense it? If they figure out that we're onto them, they could hurt her." 

"I've got to try. It might be the only way to locate her." 

Eddie nodded and Chris shut his eyes to concentrate on his sister. He thought about the last time he saw her and the brave exterior she was wearing at his request. He had asked her to watch out for Biancaand promised that he would see her again. Chris felt sadness wash over him and he felt his sister's presence. He could sense her grief when she was unable to save Bianca, but it faded away quickly. Chris focused more and more on Peyton, willing her to hear him. He was close-but he couldn't get through. Something was blocking him from reaching her. That fact alone scared him, forcing him to consider the possibility that she was hurt, but he couldn't give up. She would never give up on him. 

_C'mon squirt. Hear me. Tell me where you are. I need to find you. _

Suddenly Chris felt heat sear through him. He wondered if this was what spontaneously combusting was, but the thought didn't last long. A sharp pain, as if someone was twisting his insides with their bare hands, hit him full force and threw him backwards. He crumpled over and clutched at his head. Eddie looked stricken, knowing full well what Chris' pain implied, and said, "Chris. Chris, it's okay." 

Chris gasped for air and whimpered against the pain. His eyes went dull and his lips began to develop a blueish tint at the corners. Eddie shook him and said, "ChrisChris, you have to call for help. I can't get us out of here." 

"No" 

"Break the connection with her," Eddie demanded. As Chris attempted to push him away, Eddie repeated, "Break the connection with Peyton and call for help, Chris. You're the only one who can save her now. She needs you." 

Chris cried out in pain, but somehow managed to call out for Leo, who appeared in a flash. He looked confused, but reacted immediately when he saw his son curled up in a ball, gasping for air. He knelt down next to his son, flooded with worry, and shot Eddie a suspicious look as he attempted to heal Chris' pain. "I'm here, sport. It'll be okay." 

When it didn't work, Eddie stated, "You can't fix him like that. It's not _his_ pain that he's feeling." 

"What?" 

"It's hers. Something's happening to Peyton," Eddie replied, squaring his jaw to keep from allowing a torrent of fear to overtake him. Peyton always warned him the day might come when something like this happened and he knew that if he was going to protect her, he couldn't lose control. He needed to hold it together so that he could explain things to Leo and save the two most important people in his life. 

But all he wanted was to go back to that conversation with her from a few days ago and force her to run away with him. Run away from all of this and hide. 

_"You have to prepare yourself, Eddie." _

_"I'm not going to prepare myself for a life without you, Peyton," Eddie replied. He sat down next to her on the sofa and reached out to pull her close to him. She allowed him to lift her onto his lap and he pushed her hair aside and said, "I love you." _

_She smiled and kissed him quickly. "I love you too. I love you so much, but this isn't about love. It's about you accepting-" _

_"I don't want to have this conversation. I won't." _

_"Too bad and yes, you will have this conversation with me, Edward Maurier. We've put it off long enough," she stated. Her green eyes sparkled with determination and Eddie knew there was no way to get out of this discussion with her no matter how much he loathed the idea of it. _

_"Peyton" _

_"Do you think Bianca wanted to let Chris go? Or do you think Chris wanted to leave her behind for that matter? It's not necessarily about what we want. Chris and I have a legacy to live up to and a part of that is our responsibility for Wyatt. It's up to us to keep Wyatt from destroying everything my family fought so hard to protect. We have to stop him-_at all costs_-and next time it might not be Chris and Bianca who have to do the letting go, Eddie." _

_Eddie sighed. He could see the pain etched on her face and he hated it. He hated that they weren't getting to enjoy the life of a normal newlywed couple, where the biggest worry was forgetting to take out the garbage or nosy in-laws dropping by on a daily basis. He hated all the sadness she carried around and he hated that he couldn't conceal his own fears for her safety. Sometimes he even hated that she knew him so well. He held onto her tightly and said, "I'll never let you go, Peyton." _

_"I'll always be with you." _

_"Stop talking like this. You're not going anywhere. I know that you hate that Chris and Bianca had to make such a huge sacrifice, but we all agreed it would be best for him to go. Chris will be back, sweetie. He won't be gone forever." _

_"This isn't about-" _

_"We're going to have a long life together," he said, as much for him as her. He stroked the top of her head, allowing his fingers to get tangled up in her long brown hair, and pulled her closer to him until their lips met. He kissed her nose and forehead before pulling back and staring at her. She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen, but beyond that was the enormous amount of energy she expelled into the air. The idea that she might not be around one day was like being told that the sun wouldn't rise again. He said, "I knew from the first time we kissed that I was going to marry you." _

_"You lie." _

_"Nope, I'm afraid it's true. I was smitten." _

_"Smitten?" Peyton scoffed. She punched him in the arm lightly and added, "Chris tells me everything, dummy." _

_"What exactly did he tell you?" Eddie replied, pretending he didn't understand. _

_"I believe the words 'it was okay, I guess' were used at one point and maybe an unfair comparison to the sophomore class slut's kissing techniques," Peyton answered with a smirk. _

_"Chris has a big mouth," Eddie replied. He went to kiss her but she turned her head away and he got her cheek. He tilted her head with his fingers and met Peyton's playful gaze. He added, "Fine, fine, it's true that I might've made an egregious error and said things that weren't quite true, but you have to understand. I was a bit confused. I didn't expect to meet the love of my life when I was still a kid. I had thought my life would follow in the same manner that my father's had-go to Oxford, play the field, and settle down with a family friend which would eventually result in a nasty divorce-and then we kissed and everything changed. I knew I was going to marry you then, but I couldn't admit it yet." _

_"Uh-huhsure, buddy." _

_"We were fifteen years old, Peyton. I couldn't bloody well admit something like that to you then-you would've thought I was a crazy person," Eddie replied. He gave her a puppy dog look and said, "Believe me now?" _

_"Yes," she said. She traced her fingers along his jaw and went on, "And, for the record, I wouldn't have thought you were a crazy person." _

_"Now who's lying?" _

_"I'm not. I knew that I loved you the first day Chris brought you home," Peyton stated. Eddie rolled his eyes though he knew she was being honest. She had always treated him like some stray dog that needed a homeso did most of the Halliwell clan. He loved it and it was probably the reason he spent more time with their family than his own. _

_He moved in for another kiss. This time she didn't turn away, but she kept it brief. She slid out of his arms completely and looked away for a moment. It was a weird moment, as though she was slipping away from him and there was nothing he could do about it. But it passed and she regained her stubborn exterior. She sighed and added, "And that's all the more reason for us to deal with this, Eddie." _

_"You've got a one-track mind." _

_"And you thought you were being clever by changing the subject. It won't work this time." _

_"What do you want from me, Peyton? Do you want me to sit here and plan out your funeral because the women in your family have a nasty habit of dying young?" he snapped. He regretted it when he saw a single tear slide down her cheek. He reached out and brushed it away, "I didn't-" _

_"It's okay. This isn't an easy thing to talk about." _

_"Then why do we have to do it? Neither of us can predict what is going to happen." _

_"True, but I know you, Edward. I know how you react to things andand if something happens-" _

_"It won't." _

_"Humor me." _

_"No. Not on this." _

_She crossed her arms and said, "If something happens, we have to be prepared. It might not be any time soon, but the day will come. You're right. Halliwells have a tendency of dying young. It came for my mother and my aunts and my grandmother before them. It comes with the territory of having these gifts." _

_"I won't let anything happen to you. I would move heaven and earth to stop it." _

_"I know that, Eddie. I know you would do anything for me. You've proven that time and time again." _

_"It's because I love you." _

_"You've already endured so much pain at Wyatt's hands and I want to lessen that as much-" _

_Eddie cupped her face and said, "You've got to stop beating yourself up about that. It wasn't your fault anymore than it was Chris'. Wyatt's lost it, Peyton. He's cruel and wanted to hurt the two of you and naturally he picked me as his target." _

_"And you suffered because of it. Because of me, Eddie." _

_"I came away from it with a bit of magic of my own and that's saved me on more than one occasion." _

_"Magic that you wouldn't need if it weren't for me." _

_"I think the good outweighs the bad. My life is infinitely better for having you in it. Besides, aren't you the one who blathers on that things happen for a reason?" _

_"Yes." _

_"I can handle anything as long as I have you. The entire time that Wyatt's lackeys were torturing me, you kept me alive. I knew that you and Chris would come and you did, Peyton. It's not your fault and you need to stop beating yourself up about it. Wyatt is the problem." _

_"Exactly. Wyatt _is_ the problem. And the day might come when he needs to be vanquished and it might not go as planned." _

_"Chris has it covered." _

_"He likes to think he does." _

_"Now you doubt Chris?" _

_"No, Chris will do whatever he has to do, I know that, but he refuses to accept that this may not be his fight. Wyatt may be my problem. Ever since Wyatt did that healing spell on me when we were little, we've been linked magically somehow. No one could ever figure it out and god knows he's tried to break the connection on more than one occasion, but it's still there. I can feed off his power and vice versa-one day the only option might be" _

_"Don't finish that sentence. Do you hear me?" Eddie countered. When she didn't acknowledge him, he grabbed her hand as if it was his lifeline and stated, "I won't let you sacrifice yourself. That will never be an option." _

_"We might not have a choice, Eddie." _

_"There is always a choice," he replied. He fingered her wedding ring and said, "You have to choose to fight for us, Peyton. Nothing else matters." _

_"Love comes second in my world. You know that. You knew that when we got married-" _

_"The rules. The stupid, stupid rules that make you and Chris targets for every evil in the world. The unwritten laws that state your happiness is second to everyone else's in the world because of who your parents were. It's crazy. You can't carry that burden on your shoulders." _

_"It's like you said, Eddie. Things happen for a reason. I need you to understandwhat I'm trying to say, rather unsuccessfully, is that you need to be prepared for things. I want to make sure you realize how much I love you and how happy you make me. I have to be sure that if something does happen to me, you'll be okay and able to move on. I'm not planning on going anywhere any time soon, but if it happens, you have to be strong, Eddie. I'm counting on you because Chris won't be able to cope. I need you to be there for him." _

_Eddie glanced away from her, the certainty in her words paralyzing him, but she placed her hands on his cheeks and turned her to face him. He couldn't lie to her. He never could. He replied softly, "It would destroy me, Peyton." _

_She gave him that look she was so good at. The one that said that she knew something he didn't. "You're stronger than you think, Edward. I wouldn't have married you otherwise." She wrapped her arms around him and said, "You're the reason that I'm okay with my destiny and I need you to be okay with it too." _

"Tell me you didn't do this to yourself, Peyton," Eddie thought to himself. He felt someone's hand rest on his shoulder. It was warm and calming and it caused Eddie to blink up at Peyton and Chris' father. 

Leo was saying something, but Eddie couldn't make it out at first. His mind was still on Peyton. Finally, as Leo shook him, Eddie heard him say, "Did you hear me?" 

"What?" 

Eddie's eyes shifted to where Chris was writhing back and forth in pain. Leo said, "You need to hold onto me while I orb the three of us back to the manor. Hopefully, the girls can do something to stop his pain and you can explain this." 

Before Eddie could respond, there was a flash of blue light and his feet were coming to rest on a hardwood floor. He heard a female's voice frantically calling to Chris and for a minute, he thought it was Peyton. He blinked down and realized it was Piper, not Peyton, and the grief that he had been fighting for days overwhelmed him. He fell to the ground and said, "We can't be too late. We can't be." 

"Hey, don't you give up on my niece," Phoebe said. She helped Eddie up and she said, "We're going to save them both, but we need you to do that. You need to be pre-" 

"Prepared, I know. I've heard this speech before," he finished. He met their gazes and said, "She warned me she might do something like this. I didn't think she was serious-" 

"What are you talking about?" Paige questioned as Phoebe rushed upstairs, muttering something about a spell she had once read. 

Eddie glanced at Chris' unconscious form. When he didn't say anything, Leo stepped over in front of him, practically pressing his chest into Eddie's and said, "What the hell is going on with my son?" 

"Leo" Paige warned. 

"If you did something, you better tell me now." 

Eddie wasn't sure how to react. A part of him wanted nothing more than to hit something-_someone_-but he knew it wouldn't do any good. So he laughed. It was all he could muster. When Leo closed the distance between them-which wasn't so much a distance as an inch of space-Eddie said, "You think I did this to him? What would be my motivation? We'll overlook the fact that he's my best friend and focus on the fact that he's the only one who can help me find my wife. Knowing that, why would I hurt Chris?" 

"No one's blaming you, Eddie," Paige replied. She placed her arm on his, stepping between him and Leo, and said, "But we need to know what happened or we can't help either of them." 

Eddie nodded. He glared at Leo, but explained, "Chris was attempting to reach out to Peyton. Up until he left to come back here, the two of them could communicate without words. I think he succeeded in locating her." 

"They're telepaths?" Leo asked. 

Eddie nodded and replied, "Between them. They can't communicate with others." 

Leo nodded and Piper said, "Go on." 

"We were on the bridge and Chris decided to try to reach out to her telepathically. He was fine at first and next thing I know he's thrashing about like someone was hurting him. I had to force him to break the connection with Peyton." 

"So this is my daughter's pain?" Piper questioned as she rubbed her hand over Chris' forehead. 

"I'm afraid it is. This has happened to them once before." 

"Huh?" 

"Peyton got hit by a car when she was nine while she was riding bikes with Wyatt. Chris and I were somewhere, the arcade I believe, and he doubled over in pain. He kept repeating that Peyton was in trouble-but a few minutes later, he was fine." 

"So this will pass?" 

Eddie shrugged and he said, "I don't know. Wyatt had healed Peyton that day, so I don't know if it was the fact that she was better or that Chris had somehow broken his connection with her." 

"He may still be connected to her now," Paige said, trying to make sense of all this. She thought she and her sisters were close, but it seemed Piper's kids made them look like virtual strangers with one another. 

"Yes, and if he is," Eddie paused. He ran his hands through his hair, causing the light brown strands to stick up in every direction, and he forced out, "if he's still with her, she's not doing well. We need to find her." 

"We need to heal Chris first," Leo replied. 

Phoebe ran back into the room, waving a piece of paper in the air. She pushed past Leo and Eddie and knelt down next to Chris. She glanced at the paper one more time before rolling it up in a ball. She laid her hand on his forehead and said, _"Though no words have been spoken, let this witch's link be broken." _

Nothing happened at first. The group of them remained silent and Eddie was sure that they could all hear the rapid beating of his heart. He didn't know who he was more scared for at the moment. Then, after a few minutes of Piper whispering to Chris to wake up, Chris' eyes fluttered open. 

He didn't move right away. He blinked up at the group of them as if trying to figure out where he was and how he'd gotten there. Leo moved over to his other side. He glanced at Piper before placing his hand on Chris' arm. Leo closed his eyes as if to heal him and said, "It looks like you're okay, sport." 

"Welcome back, sweetie," Piper replied, brushing his hair back off his forehead and placing a quick kiss on the top of his head. Then she smacked him on the arm and said, "Don't do that to me again. Got it, Mister?" 

"Ow, mom. Could we not beat me up in front of guests?" She smiled at that and Chris asked, "How did I get here?" 

Chris sat up and, when his eyes locked on Eddie's, he jumped off the sofa, remembering exactly what had happened, who was in trouble, and where he had to go. He moved toward the door without a word. Piper latched onto his arm and stated, "Sit back down." 

"I can't." 

"You scared the hell out of us, young man, so you're going to sit down and humor me!" When Chris didn't budge or say anything, Piper pointed to her stomach and asked, "Do you really want to cross a pregnant woman?" 

Chris smiled reassuringly at his mother. He didn't want her to worry or suffer in any way, but there was no time for him to catch a good night's sleep. He hugged her and said, "I'm fine. It wasn't me and I think" 

"Is she still alive?" Eddie asked. 

Chris nodded and said, "For the time being. That's why I have to go." 

"Your mother's right, Chris. Only a few minutes ago, you were barely breathing. You're in no position to attempt a rescue mission," Leo countered. Before Chris could argue, he pointed to the girls and said, "Let your aunts handle this." 

"That's right. I found a spell that should weaken the Scorios long enough for us to get to Peyton and bring her back here. Then we can do a protection spell on her until we figure out a way to vanquish them all together," Phoebe said. 

Chris shook his head and said, "I have to go. She doesn'tif I'm not there, she won't know what's going on. She's expecting to see any of you." 

"I'm sure she'll figure it out, Chris," Piper replied. She glanced at Edward and said, "Your friend can stay here with you and Wyatt." 

"No. This isn't going to work." 

"Chris" 

"She's my sister." 

"Yes, and apparently, my daughter," Piper countered. 

"You're eight months pregnant." 

"He does have a point, Piper," Phoebe said. She looked at her sister and commented, "I'm surprised you can even stand upright." 

"Fat jokes? You're making _fat jokes _at a time like this?" 

"Mom, I have to go. Now." 

Chris moved over next to Edward. He said, "I think it's best if you wait here." 

"Like hell." 

"Eddie, it's not a good idea." 

"I'm coming, Chris." 

Chris sighed. He glanced at his dad and said, "We'll be on the radar, but you should stay with mom and Wyatt in case this is some large plan to get her and Wyatt alone." Chris glanced at his aunts and asked, "Are you ready?" When they nodded, he flicked his arm in their direction and a blue orb encircled the two of them until they disappeared. Chris grabbed Eddie and said, "So we're clear. You better be careful and stay behind me or my aunts at all times. Peyton's going to be pissed when she finds out that I brought you and if anything happens, she'll kill me." 

_(to be continued...)_


	2. Let's Meet The Sister

**Chapter Two: Let's Meet The Sister**

To say that life for Peyton Halliwell was never easy was putting it mildly. She was used to the drama and the horrors and, on the less busy days, a bit of disarray. She had come to expect it out of life. It was something she had inherited like her mother's laugh, her father's eyes, and her grandfather's predilection for terrible vices. It was a given that bad things occurred and fighting against it was her legacy. 

Peyton remembered the day her mother and aunts died as though it had happened yesterday. Her senses would immediately overload and everything rushed back at her like it was a film she was forced to endure over and over. The smell of pancakes wafting through the manor, causing her eyes to flutter open and her stomach to growl. The cold, clingy feel of the floor on her bare feet as she crept out of her room and down the hall. The sound of her brother's bark when she jumped on top of him to wake him up and the clang of silverware against plates as Wyatt consumed twenty pancakes without stopping for air. Moreover, the lookthe creepy glimmer in her mother's eyes when Paige orbed in and said there was a situation. Peyton had learned a long time ago that "situation" was code for unavoidable demon evil. 

Her mother had gathered them up, telling Wyatt that he was in charge until she got back and fending off arguments from Chris and Peyton that at fourteen-years-old they could take care of themselves. Wyatt did his normal can't-be-bothered shrug and orbed out of the room. Her mother screamed after him, but everyone knew that Wyatt did what Wyatt wanted. So she hugged Chris, asked him to watch after his sister, and smiled reassuringly at the two of them. Even if Peyton wasn't well skilled at reading people's emotions, the look in her mother's eyes would've given her away. It was different than she had seen before-tired mixed with fear mixed with desperation-and Peyton knew before her mother had left that she wouldn't be returning. 

Since that day, Peyton spent a good deal of her life living on a pendulum of sorts. Things were always back and forth, black and white, right and wrong, good and evil. She was never permitted to stop the swinging and hover in the middle. Since that day, it seemed that all Peyton witnessed was devastation and loss. 

Devastation and loss-would that be Eddie's burden to carry now? Would he grieve for her the way she and Chris had for their family? Had she made the right choice when she allowed him to become a part of her life? 

Those memories filtered through her consciousness, but they didn't seem to sink in. It was as though someone else had been hired to handle her memories because she was too busy with the other things-like surviving the night. She was in a bad place, she knew, and the odds of making it out alive weren't in her favor. There were people she might never get to see again and loved ones whom might not know how much she adored them, but none of that registered. 

It felt strange to admit, even more bizarre to consider, but she wasn't afraid. She wasn't even panicked but rather overwhelmed with a moment of peace. Life vibrated around her with the stillness of a spring night, warm and ripe, as the earth itself merged into an exquisite expression of promise and joy. It was one of those rare moments where her emotions and the atmosphere were harmonious with one another and anything seemed possible. 

_Anything was possible_...that was a thought that Peyton had long abandoned. To some, magic was nothing but endless possibilities and enchantment. When she was little, her mother would tell her stories of fairies and princesses who used magic to make the world better. Her mother created worlds where magic was a wonderful gift to cherish, but throughout Peyton's life, she had come to see it for what it was. A burden and sometimes a curse. 

That was why it was so surprising that she felt soclear. Things made sense to her for the first time in a long while; a sliver of hope coursing through her like the blood in her veins. Such a weird thing to say considering her current predicament, but true all the same. 

There she was, in the least likely of places, experiencing a moment where there was no burden on her to fulfill her destiny. It was almost cathartic. It was as though, despite the demons scurrying around her and the torture imposed on her sporadically throughout the day, the world still possessed a joy that Wyatt had depleted from their future. Peace. The pulse of a life not overseen by machines and destruction. It was something she barely remembered, and then only as an afterthought or the preface to some story passed down through time. 

Too bad it wouldn't last. The clarity would pass and the Scorios would return ready to go another round with her. She would remember why she was there, the part of her that was broken and required mending. She would recall who she was, the duty that came with her name, and do her best to get control of the situation. However futile it seemed in nature. 

The Scorios had broken their deal. No one was supposed to get hurt. It was supposed to be a quick transfer of powers. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, but now she was regretting not following her gut instinct. The magical binds holding her were made of something that blocked her powers out. They had brought her through a portal, leaving her clueless as to where she was and guessing that no one else knew where to find her. Not that she expected anyone was looking for her. Wyatt would figure her motivation out quick enough and retaliate in anger, Eddie didn't have any way to figure this out or anyone to help him, and Chris was somewhere else. 

_Chris said he was coming for you_, she thought. She had a nagging feeling that Chris had been there with her a little while ago. 

She wasn't sure if her imagination had taken over in a moment of duress or if she and her brother had somehow connected with one another again. The logical side of her brain told her that was impossible. Chris was gone. Chris had sacrificed everything to save Wyatt and the rest of the worldand she was left to fight the remaining evil alone. It was their deal, the pact they had made, and she had let Chris and her mother's memory down. She had failed. The Scorios were going to take all of her powers and do god knew what with it. It might end up being a larger disaster than she could have anticipated from Wyatt. To make matters even worse, it would be her fault, her legacy. She would die alone in the dark in a time that wasn't her own with nothing but her guilt to hold onto. 

Peyton shut her eyes against the harsh truth of it all and let out a slow, methodic breath, a balloon that had been pricked and was slowly deflating. She stayed like that forshe wasn't suretime had stopped mattering since being imprisoned by the Scorios. There was no change from day to night as minutes turned into hours without her knowledge. Time had become an indiscernible thing to her. 

It wasn't until she felt a hand resting on her forehead and the bristling tingle of energy coursing up and down her arms as her magic returned to her that she opened her eyes. The sounds and vibrations of loud blasts shook the cavern walls and fluorescent colored lights flashed overhead. The energy crackled around her and she could smell the tinge of blood in the air. She rubbed her eyes, sure that she was dreaming, or that this was the Scorios latest mind game to weaken her. There was no way her brother was there. She muttered, "Stop." 

"Peyton," he replied. He shook her gently and said, "C'mon Peyton, get up." 

He lifted her off the ground and as she took in his disheveled appearance, studied the familiar stance she could pick out from a mile away, and the worried smile plastered on his face, she said, "Chris?" 

"Hey squirt. How are you feeling?" 

"Chris," she repeated again. When she realized that he was really there, she wrapped her arms around him and said, "You're here." 

"You were in trouble. I couldn't leave you to fight these bastards alone, could I? I would've been kicked out of the big brother secret society." 

She hugged her brother tighter and said, "I've missed you so much, Chris. So much has happened and I'm not sure-I thought I could handle Wyatt on my own, but I'm not strong enough-" 

"Hey, hey, stop that," Chris said. He pinched her cheek affectionately and replied, "Wyatt is a head case, Peyton. I didn't expect you to work miracles while I was away." Peyton's words replayed in his head and as they sunk in, he felt a strange surge of energy coming off her that she quickly attempted to squelch. Rage thundered through him as he processed the possibilities behind it all. He asked, "Did he do this to you? Did he send you here to suffer like this?" 

"No, I didn't mean-" 

"I'll kill him. I'll kill him before-" Chris was interrupted as one of the Scorios ran at them. Before Chris even had a chance to register the fact that he was being charged, Peyton sent an energy ball flying into the demon's chest. It shrieked and became enveloped in a wave of fire. Chris nudged his sister and said, "Your powers appear to have returned." 

"Not a minute too soon either," she replied. She held out her hand, drew one circle on the ground around her and Chris, and one above their heads in the air. A green force field surrounded them right as a group of Scorios appeared from out of the blue. She glanced at her brother and said, "We're a bit outnumbered here, Chris." 

"Not exactly," Chris replied. 

Peyton noticed how her brother's eyes focused on any area of their surroundings that hers weren't. Chris was the master at avoidance when he didn't want her to be able to read him. That could only mean one thing-he was up to something. She nudged him in the side and said, "Come again?" 

"I said 'not exactly', Peyton." 

"But why would you say that?" she paused, shooting him an appraising glance that he managed to evade, and replied, "Christopher Victor Halliwell, what did you do? It's not bad enough that you jeopardized your own safety and the mission-" 

"Mission? It's a mission to save a psycho, Peyton." 

"Our brother." 

"Whatever. I'm much more concerned with keeping the sibling I can tolerate alive." 

"We don't know that what happens to Wyatt is entirely his own doing-" 

"Right now, I don't care." 

"Chris, what if it was me? Would you still feel that way?" 

"What?" 

"You heard me. It could as easily have been you or I." 

"It's not you, Peyton. This is all Wyatt. He's a power hungry megalomaniac. I'll do what I can to save him, but not at your expense. Got it?" he replied. He shot a stream of energy at a Scorio in the distance, which only seemed to aggravate the others rather than send them scurrying off. He said, "This isn't normal Scorio behavior." 

"Tell me about it," Peyton replied, rubbing over the burn marks on her arms. His eyes followed her and he grabbed her arm. She shrugged and pulled back. It was her turn to refuse to make eye contact. There was too much going on, too much Chris didn't know yet, and she had hoped to keep it that way. She said, "You shouldn't have come here, Chris." 

"What did they do to you?" 

"It doesn't matter." 

"The hell it doesn't, Peyton." 

"Can we focus on getting out of here?" 

"What are you trying to hide from me?" Chris questioned, peering at her dubiously until she met his gaze. He sighed and said, "You know you can trust me, right?" 

"Of course." 

"Then you need to talk to me, Peyton." 

She motioned around the cavern and replied, "Are you kidding me? Talking isn't going to get us out of here." 

"Fine." 

"You might not be able to save everyone, Chris. You're going to have to accept that at some point." 

Chris was reminded of his conversation with Eddie. He had told Chris how Peyton had given him one of those preparation lectures, and if he was uncertain before, Chris was now more convinced that Peyton was up to something. Chris shot another Scorio that had fallen to the ground in pain from the force field in the chest and realized that she was right about one thing: now was not the time to get answers. He turned around, taking in the immediate area where Scorios were starting to swarm. He could hear his aunts calling for him and he said, "I know how much you enjoy a good lecture, but can this wait until later?" 

"Do I have a choice?" 

"No," he answered firmly. He took a deep breath and stated, "I brought a few people along to help me. Actually, they sort of _insisted_ on coming so I don't think it's fair for you to hold this against me." 

Peyton turned toward her brother. She folded her arms and glared at him. She said, "Tell me you didn't, Chris." Before he could respond, her eyes darted around the area. She practically fell over when she saw her Aunts sending Scorios flying left and right. She was about to interrogate her brother: what was going on, how did they get there, and more importantly, how were they breathing? Of course, logically, it made sense that if Chris was here, the Scorios had brought her back in timebut why? What purpose did it serve? 

Those questions fell aside though when she noticed Eddie out of the corner of her eye. He was holding his own against a rather massive demon. She punched Chris in the stomach and, ignoring his groan, she said, "I'm not even going to ask what you were thinking because it's obvious you weren't." 

"I think you broke my rib." 

She sent an orb flying at one of the Scorios trying to burn his way through their shield and said, "Yeah, call the sibling abuse squadand watch your nine o'clock." 

Chris didn't get a chance to respond before Peyton orbed over closer to Eddie and took the protective shield with her. He struck one Scorio before moving himself out of the line of fire, muttering, "No, 'thank you, Chris' or 'you're the best brother in the world, Chris'what the hell" Chris paused as a portion of the cavern wall gave way and crumbled around him. He coughed up the dirt that he had inhaled and brushed the rocks and debris from his head. "Wonderful." His eyes darted across the room. He saw Peyton fighting off a few Scorios, but she had it under control. Unlike Phoebe who seemed to have pissed off a rather spry three-foot demon of some sort. He orbed over, grabbed her, and transported the two of them over to Paige. 

"About time, Chris," Paige commented between breathes. She glanced at her sister and said, "I vanquish, but they keep coming. Demon Energizer Bunnies!" 

"It's as though every time we kill one, two more replace them." 

"They're not like those worker bee type demons are they? Because those were a pain in the ass," Paige complained. 

"I don't think they're the same thing. These are all different types of demons," Chris paused to stop an energy ball heading toward them. He glanced at his aunts and said, "But the Scorios do steal powers from groups of demons so it's possible that they are replicating. That might explain the weird behavior." 

"What do you mean?" 

"Both Peyton and I noticed it. The Scorios are renowned in our time for their cowardice. They usually run at the first sign of trouble. They're not doing that today." 

"Lucky us," Paige muttered. 

"I'm not sure it's luck. There are demon clans that regenerate in similar fashions-rising from the ashes of their dead." 

"Like a phoenix?" Phoebe asked, kicking a Scorio into the air and then vanquishing it. 

"Sort of. It's no secret that Scorios are the type of demons who aren't beyond stealing another creature's DNA if it would further their quest for power." 

Phoebe ducked a beam of energy focused on her and threw a dagger at a Scorio that managed to get through Paige's massive attacks. She glanced from her sister to her nephew and replied, "You're telling me that these creepy buggers stole some other creature's regenerative powers and that we're basically screwed?" 

"Yeah." 

"Wonderful." 

Paige groaned, sending energy ball after energy ball at the demons, and asked, "How are we supposed to stop them then? Is it even possible?" 

"We can't worry about that right now. Peyton has her powers back and she looks okay," Chris paused, making sure he could find his sister. He smiled when he saw her throw an unsuspecting demon across the room and continued, "We should get out of here and regroup. We need to find a way to thwart whatever plans they have for Peyton and get her back to the future. Otherwise they're going to keep coming back her and I won't let that happen." 

"Maybe they've learned their lesson?" Paige offered though she didn't really believe it. 

"I doubt it. I couldn't get a good read on my sister, but something's up. I think Wyatt might be responsible for this." 

Phoebe and Paige nodded in understanding. Knowing what their sweet little nephew grew up to be was a bit overwhelming, especially once it became clear that family was no safer from him than anyone else. Phoebe searched the growing numbers of Scorios and asked, "Where's Peyton?" 

Chris pointed and said, "That's her. Over there." 

"You two look alike," Paige commented. 

Phoebe rolled her eyes and Chris replied, "We're _twins_, Aunt Paige." 

"Yeah, but" she met her sister's gaze and said, "Nevermind. Not the time for this conversation. Can you get her attention?" 

Chris waved at Peyton, but he wasn't sure she saw him so he waved his arms more exaggeratedly, almost losing his balance and toppling over. 

Peyton did notice her brother gesticulating and mouthing something at her. She rolled her eyes and wondered why he hadn't tried to talk to her telepathically or even orbed over. She snapped telepathically, happy for the link back to him again but unwilling to admit that, _do I want to know what you're doing? _

_We're getting out of here. _

_I need to get Eddie first. _

_Okay, but I'm going to need a little help if we plan to get out of here in one piece. _

_Got it. _

As the thought crossed her mind, she observed one of the Scorios sneaking up on Eddie with a dagger. That wasn't good. She knocked through the few demons left separating her from him and pushed him down onto the ground just in time. She glared at the demon and sent it flying across the room with wave of her arm. 

Peyton knelt down next to Eddie, creating another of her fields around him, and shook him lightly to see if he was still conscious. She ran her fingers over his chest to make sure that he wasn't hurt and smoothed the wrinkles out of his shirt as she went. He blinked up at her as if he wasn't sure how she had gotten there and she smiled at him. She said, "It's okay, Eddie. You're gonna be okay." 

He smiled at her. "You're alive." 

She caressed his face, kissed his forehead, and asked, "What did you think you were doing?" 

"Saving you." 

"Uhgood job, honey." 

He rolled his eyes and replied, "You're welcome." 

"I thought you were going to let me handle this." 

"You didn't tell me what _this_" he paused to emphasize the full magnitude of the environment surrounding them before continuing, "entailed, darling." 

"Eddie-" 

"I had to get Chris in order to find you. I couldn't leave you to face god knows what alone. I _wouldn't _do that." 

"There's no time to argue right now," she replied. She pushed her palms into his chest and said, "You don't look hurt. You'd tell me if you were though, right?" 

"Nothing bruised but my ego." He traced his hands over her arms and asked, "How about you? You okay? No gaping wounds or anything?" 

She rose from the ground and replied, "I'm fine. Though you and Chris won't be once I'm done with the two of you. I expect this sort of thing from him, but you should-" 

"I should what? Let you die?" Eddie shook his head and stood himself up. He wanted to frown at her, shout out in anger at her stupidity sometimes, but he was too relieved to see her standing there unscathed. He sighed, "Wyatt wasn't going to help me, Peyton." 

"I know." 

"You know? But I thought part of your-" 

"It doesn't matter. We need to get out of here and I need to go create a diversion so that Chris and my aunts can escape. I'll be back to get you. Don't move until I get back." 

"What?" 

"Stay there, Edward, or I'll kill you myself." 

She went to move back over in Chris' direction, but Eddie grabbed her hand and pulled her to him. He wrapped his arms around her and said, "Be careful, okay? You scared the hell out of me once this week already." 

"I'm sorry," she said. She kissed him and said, "I love you." 

"Be careful, Peyton." 

Peyton smiled at him and spoke slowly, "I'm fine. I always am, aren't I?" 

Eddie rested his forehead against hers for a moment, bringing their lips together for a brief kiss, and said, "I'd like to keep it that way." 

"And I plan to keep you safe," Peyton replied. She glanced around the room and noticed that the number of Scorios was swelling and that a large group of them had Chris and her aunts cornered. She wondered if they'd be able to orb out in time, but she didn't want to take any chances. Things had already spiraled far enough out of control. This was her mess and she needed to clean it up. She wasn't about to risk their lives or the future. She motioned in their direction and said, "I need you to stay here while I go help Chris." 

"Peyton" he began, but she dissolved into a blue light and disappeared. He tried to run over in the direction he had seen Chris hurry off to earlier upon hearing a loud blast and Chris shouting something, but Peyton's force field not only kept the bad guys out, but also kept him from moving anywhere else. He made a mental note to shake some sense into Peyton once they were all safe, pointing out that she was his wife, not his mother. 

Eddie sat there for a few minutes, straining his ears to hear anything else, but the caverns had become oddly silent. He knew from experience that long hushes were never a good sign and that thought was reaffirmed when Eddie noticed a stream of smoke rising out of the corner of his eye. He inched in that direction only to be shocked and thrown to the ground by the shield surrounding him. He cursed under his breath as Chris appeared in front of him. Eddie glanced at him and that was all it took to know that something was wrong. He stood up and asked, "Where's Peyton?" 

"Paige orbed her and Phoebe out. I came to get you," Chris replied. He motioned in the direction of the smoke, which had metamorphosed into large red embers at the other end of the cave. He said, "We have to get out of here. Right now." 

"Orbed her out?" 

"Eddie-" 

"Why would Peyton need someone else to orb her out? What's going on, Chris?" Chris flicked his hand and Peyton's force field dissolved, allowing Eddie to step closer to Chris. He studied his best friend's tense posture and tightened jaw. He repeated, "What's going on?" 

Chris sighed and met Eddie's gaze. He replied, "You're not going to be able to help my sister if you die of smoke inhalation." Chris grabbed him and the two of them orbed out of the caverns. Eddie felt the world tilt slightly as his feet landed firmly on the ground. He wasn't used to orbbing so much in one day-he preferred normal methods of transportation like walking. Yeah, walking was good. 

Piper rushed at the two of them, hugging Chris and then Eddie and back to Chris again. She kissed the top of his head and said, "I was getting worried." 

"You're cutting off my oxygen," Chris complained. 

"I'm your mother. I'm allowed." 

Chris gasped for air and moaned, "I'm going to pass out." 

Piper relented and pulled back a little bit. She studied his face and asked, "Are the two of you okay?" 

"Fine." 

"I'm not just talking about the physical, Chris." 

"_I'm fine_," Chris reiterated coolly. It didn't take a genius to pick up on how not fine Chris really was, but he didn't give anyone a chance to press the issue. His eyes darted around the parlor and he asked, "Where's Peyton?" 

"Let me have Leo take a look at the two of you first. You won't do her any good if you collapse from exhaustion." 

"Mom, I know you mean well, but for the last time, I'm okay. No cuts, no bruises, nothingI'm perfect except for the fact that my sister needs me and I'm not with her. Now where is Peyton?" Chris replied. 

Piper glanced at him. She had never seen him quite so dour before. She was used to aloof Chris, determined Chris, even angry Chris, but this side to him frightened her. Piper understood the horrible pain of losing a sibling and she could see through Chris' flimsy wall of hostility. He was torn up, but he wouldn't let her help him. It didn't appear that he was going to let anyone help him, which meant that not only was Piper worried about losing her daughter, but also what that loss would do to her son. She motioned up the stairs and said, "Leo moved her upstairs to my room." 

Chris started to move toward the stairs, but Eddie grabbed a hold of his arm and spun him around. He questioned, "What the hell happened back there? She was fine when she left me." 

"I have to go upstairs, Eddie." 

"You have to talk to me, Chris." 

"Let go, man." 

"Not until-" 

"Let go." 

"What's-" before Eddie could finish his thought Chris had shoved him onto the floor and orbed out of the room. 

Piper hollered after him, but it was useless. She focused on Eddie and smiled sympathetically. She said, "He's worried about his sister." 

"I know. He only gets like this when he's trying to be the big protector of the family." 

"Big protector? Really?" Piper replied. It did fit Chris' personality and she smiled, "I'll have to remember that." 

"Don't worry. You will," Eddie said. 

"He and his sister are close?" Piper replied. It wasn't so much a question as a statement worth verification. 

"Yeah. It's hard to break through the wall the two of them put up around themselves. It got even harder after Wyatt began going on his rampages-" Eddie paused when he saw Piper wince and replied quickly, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be talking to you about this stuff. Chris would kill me." 

"Chris uses the future as an excuse to avoid dealing with things." 

"Well, he has a reason to," Eddie said. He glanced up the stairs and said, "Our future isn't a very nice place to live. Chris and Peyton see it as their problem. Their brother, their job to fix it, you see." Eddie attempted to shake some of the tension he was feeling out of his muscles and joints, but to no avail. He wouldn't be able to unclench until someone explained what happened. He took another deep breath, attempting to keep himself calm, and he asked, "Can you tell me what the hell happened? Where's Peyton? I need to see her." 

"I'm not sure of that myself yet," Piper replied. She pointed to her stomach and said, "I think the plan is to keep the pregnant lady from stressing." She raised her voice so that it carried up the stairs as she continued, "Not working very well though." 

As if on cue, Paige came running down the stairs and said, "Leo thinks she's going to be fine. He's not sure he understands what happened so it made healing her a bit difficult, but she appears to be getting better. It might take awhile for her system to recharge after the ordeal she's been through." Paige patted Eddie on the shoulder and said, "Chris wanted me to send you upstairs." 

"How kind of him to let me see my own wife." 

"Take it easy on him, Eddie. He's blaming himself for this." 

"I don't even know what he's blaming himself for," Eddie muttered. 

Paige shrugged and nodded to the stairs. She replied, "Why not go find out then?" 

Eddie took a deep breath, his mind reeling with horrible what ifs. He couldn't help but harp on the word "thinks." _Leo **thinks** she's going to be fine._ No certainty. No guarantees that she was going to wake up and that was incomprehensible to him. He met Piper's gaze, who smiled at him reassuringly. Peyton had her mother's smile. He never noticed it before. He returned the smile and said, "You remind me a lot of Peyton. I didn't realize how much after all this time, I guess, but it's so obvious to me now." 

Piper hugged him and said, "I'm hormonal, my children are spazzing out, and your sweetness might push me over the edge. Do you want to make a pregnant lady cry?" 

"Uh" 

"None of us want that, Piper," Paige commented glibly. 

Eddie pulled away and focused on Paige. He said, "Thanks for helping her." 

"She's my niece. I've always got her back," Paige replied. She nudged Eddie in the side and winked, "And yours too." 

Eddie nodded, grateful for the help her family had provided, even if Peyton was likely to murder him in his sleep for contacting them. He took each step one at a time, becoming more and more resolute in his plans to ream Chris for that scene downstairs as he moved toward the room. He understood the weight Chris carried around, the promises he made to his mother, and everything else, but Peyton was as important to him as she was to Chris. He was a part of this mess, despite Peyton's objections. Eddie wanted to shout that from the rooftops, but the problem he found he was having was the same one he had with Peyton so often: he could never stay mad long enough. 

Eddie noticed Leo and Phoebe standing outside in the hall, discussing something in hushed whispers. He had learned from years of experience with Peyton and Chris how to handle a situation like this and he immediately began clearing his throat to announce his arrival. 

Phoebe smiled at him, while Leo remained steely-eyed, and asked, "How are you doing?" 

"A bit confused. What happened?" 

"I think Chris wants to tell you, honey," Phoebe replied with another reassuring smile. 

"Is she okay?" 

"She is now," Leo answered curtly. He glanced at the floor and scratched his head before going on in a much less terse tone, "I'm sorry, but-she's not in good shape, Eddie. I want to warn you before you go in there." 

"Have we figured out why they're after her?" 

"Chris thinks it was Wyatt. He said Peyton hinted at it," Phoebe said. 

"I can't believe he would hurt his own sister," Leo replied. It was nothing more than a sigh as a flutter of disappointment or disbelief coursed through him. It was apparent from Chris' behavior and even Peyton's when he reached out to heal her, that he hadn't been father of the year. He couldn't help but wonder if he was part of the reason Wyatt went over the edge, if he was responsible for all the anger his children carried around. 

Eddie knew Leo was having trouble processing all of this. He couldn't imagine it was an easy thing to learn that your son was the cause of so much destruction, but he didn't have the energy left in him to humor anyone. Normally, he was nothing if not tactful, but his mind was racing with horrible thoughts of Peyton suffering under Wyatt's command. She was his main priority and he couldn't focus on anything else. He snapped, "You never could believe Wyatt did anything wrong. It was part of the problem." 

"What?" 

"Chris came to you, on more than one occasion, and you dismissed him. The same way you dismissed Peyton. Wyatt doesn't care about anyone. When are you going to get that through your head?" 

"Eddie, sweetie, I realize you're upset, but Leo-" 

Eddie cut Phoebe off and said, "It doesn't matter. Can I see her?" 

Leo didn't respond, merely nodded and pushed the door opened. Eddie didn't move at first. He willed the muscles in his legs to work, to take steps, but he was afraid of what awaited him beyond that door. He reminded himself that both Peyton and Chris had been through their fair share of narrow escapes in the time he had known them and they were always okay. That had to remain true. He couldn't accept the possibility of anything else. 

Eddie finally managed to gain control of his muscles and cautiously entered the room. He noticed Peyton laying there. She looked so peaceful, but pale and strange. It wasn't the serene expression he was used to, like the times he found himself studying her when she fell asleep on the sofa during a movie. This was something different, as though death was circling around her and the only thing keeping it at bay was the expression on Chris' face as he sat in the rocking chair with his arms crossed. 

"Hey," Eddie said, nothing more than a squeak. 

Chris didn't remove his eyes from his sister's slumbering figure and said, "I'm sorry about downstairs." 

"We've done worse to each other over the years." 

Chris nodded and replied, "I should be the one laying here, not her." 

"If I've learned anything from your sister, it's that things happen for a reason." 

Chris laughed bitterly. He said, "God, you even sounded like her when you said that." 

"Is that a bad thing?" 

"When it makes you blind to things? Yeah, it is." 

"What?" 

"I'm the reason for this, Eddie. We both know it. I needed to play hero and save the day. I left you, Bianca, and my sister behind to handle Wyatt. I knew he'd be impossible. I knew if he figured out that Peyton and Bianca helped me-did Peyton tell you about the talk we had before I left?" Eddie shook his head and Chris went on, "She was worried that she couldn't handle Wyatt on her own. She told me she had a bad feeling about the situation and I blew her off. I told her to trust me to handle thisand she did. She always trusted me completely." 

"Because she knows she can, Chris. You're her brother." 

"So is Wyatt." 

"And we both know why it's different." 

"Is it? She still trusts him, I think. She won't admit it, not even to us, but she still harbors a sliver of faith in him in that mind of hers. I think she holds out hope that whether or not I succeed in altering the past, he can be saved." 

"It's not wrong to hope, Chris. That's all a lot of us have left." 

"Hope destroyed my family. It was a death sentence for my mother and my aunts. They held out hope to their dying day that more good could be accomplished and that one day they'd all have normal lives. It never happened, Eddie. My father's faith and hope in people, in the possibility of good always triumphing, was why he was never around, why he refused to see what Wyatt was becoming before it was too late," Chris paused and stared down at the floor for a minute. Eddie could see him mentally counting to ten and fighting to maintain the neutral expression that he was programmed to wear on his face. 

Chris shook his head, as though his ears were water logged, and continued, "And look at Peyton. She had faith that things would work out even though she's seen firsthand how unlikely it is. Look at the results of hope, Eddie." For emphasis, he waved his arms over Peyton and added, "She could've died today. I'm supposed to protect her. I promised our mother and I promised her, but I let her down today. I should've known that she would concoct some plan of her own and try to sacrifice herself." 

Chris glanced at his sister and covered his face with his hands. Eddie watched him take calculated breathes and try to calm himself down. Eddie hated this, hated what was happening, and hated seeing Peyton lie there so still. She was the only one who would be able to get through to Chris, to calm him down and force him to stop blaming himself for everything. Peyton was the one they all depended on. Eddie sighed, "We won't let her sacrifice herself." 

"I haven't done a very good job of stopping her though, have I?" Chris laughed mirthlessly and added, "I haven't done a very good job of _anything_ recently. I should've pushed the readings I was getting from her in that cavern." 

"What readings?" 

"I got a bad vibe from her concerning Wyatt. She tried to evade the topic and I didn't press her for more information. I figured we'd have plenty of time-" 

"You _will _have plenty of time, Chris. Do you hear me? If I have to keep Peyton with us by sheer force, I'll do it." 

Chris cracked a small smile and replied, "I believe you would." 

"It's not some noble gesture. It's because I can't live without her." 

"I know." 

"And neither can you." 

"She's all I have left, Eddie. If I can't fix things for our future, I'll be going back to a desolate world where Bianca is dead and-" 

"You're going to fix things, Chris." 

"Am I? We don't have much more time for me to figure this out. Whatever happens to Wyatt happens before Peyton and I are born. That's only a little over a month away and I'm no closer to figuring anything out than I was before I left. I thought that I allowed for plenty of time, but what if I was wrong? What if Peyton was figuring that out and took it upon herself to do something? What if I've failed my family?" 

"Have a little faith in yourself." 

"I leave the faith to my sister. I'm the cynical one, remember?" he said with a small laugh. He glanced away for a second before refocusing his gaze on Eddie. He went on, "Peyton's my best friend." 

"Mine too." 

"I don't think I can go back to a future where she's not around." 

"Your sister will be there." 

Chris nodded. He didn't say anything else. Eddie was used to that behavior by now. Both Chris and Peyton were infamous brooders, going within themselves and only talking when they felt comfortable broaching the subject without allowing any emotion to pour out. Always so worried about being brave and strong for everyone else, no matter what it did to them. Eddie knew better than to try to persuade Chris to see what he was saying was true. Chris needed to accept it in his own time. 

Eddie took the opportunity to close the last of the distance between himself and Peyton. He sat down on the edge of the bed and ran his fingers over her face, a terrain he knew by heart after all this time. He kissed her forehead-so cold, _too cold_-and whispered, "Time to wake up, sleeping beauty." When she didn't stir, he rubbed the weariness from his eyes and asked, "What happened, Chris? She was fine. I saw her. We talked and I touched her." 

"My aunts and I were cornered by a group of aggressive Scorios. We realized a little too late that by destroying one, two more rose from their ashes. We're still not clear on how they managed to do that, butone of the Scorios was draining my power. Peyton orbed in right in the middle of it. She pushed me out of the way and-I don't remember ever seeing her so angry. She wasn't herself. She said something to one of the Scorios. It replied to her too before starting toward me again and that's when it happened" 

"Wait. She was talking to a demon?" 

"I don't think they were exchanging recipes, Eddie, but yeah, she was talking to it." 

"What happened next?" 

"Her aura was glowing so bright-I'm surprised that you couldn't see it from where you were. Her eyes narrowed into tiny slits and the color changed. They were black and empty-it was like a scene out of the _Exorcist_ or something. And she did something I've never seen from her before. She said some incantation and this wave of dark light came out of hershe turned them all to ash with the flip of a wrist." 

"Peyton can't-" 

"That's why I freaked out. I know how powerful she is. She tries to hide it from everyone, but not this time. It poured out of her. I've always believed that she's more powerful than Wyatt, but she's never attempted to unleash it. She's always been scared of it, seeing how it affected Wyatt. She wasn't scared this time." 

"I know, but ash? You're telling me she vaporized a cavern full of demons?" 

Chris nodded. He leaned forward in his chair, causing the floor to creak as he reached for his sister's hand. He squeezed it and met Eddie's gaze. Even if Eddie couldn't believe what Chris was saying, the look in Chris' eyes spoke volumes. Chris let out a small groan and replied, "It scared the hell out of me andI think it scared her. The only thing left of any of the Scorios was the flames and that's when this happened. She looked at me. Her eyes were normal again, but she was so shocked by what she had done andshe said my name and collapsed. I had Paige orb them home immediately and that's when I came for you." 

"So what happened to her? Did she blow a fuse with her powers or something?" 

"I don't know. I'm not sure what to make of any of this. Has she been having trouble controlling her powers? Or has she been acting strange lately?" 

"I told you about the talk she made me have." 

"She almost forced one down my throat in the caverns." 

"What?" 

"She said that I shouldn't have come after her, but that's typical Peyton." 

"I don't know about that, Chris. None of this screams 'typical' to me." 

"True, but what I'm talking about is different than that. Have her powers appeared to be amped up recently? Anything out of the norm?" 

"Not that I've noticed, but Peyton tries to keep that part of her life separate from us. She seems to think that I only love the nonmagical part of her-" 

"That's not true, Eddie. No one in our family has ever made a relationship with someone outside of the magic world work for long. She's scared of losing you." 

Eddie shook his head and replied, "Like that could happen. As I've told her numerous times, she's stuck with me." 

Chris nodded and said, "That's good to hear because what I said before your wedding still stands. As much as I love you, if you ever make my sister cry, I'll be forced to kill you and it'll have to hurt." 

Eddie laughed and rolled his eyes at the comment. He stroked Peyton's cheek and said, "Ever since that incident with Wyatt, she's been careful about the magical things I'm exposed to. She worries about putting me in danger." 

"Speaking of Wyatt-how about my brother? How has Wyatt seemed around her?" 

"Nothing that" Eddie's voice trailed off. He glanced at Chris and said, "Wait. They had a fight a few weeks ago. It was a bad fight too from what I could make out. Wyatt looked scared and Peyton disappeared for a few hours after it was over with. I tried to follow after her, but she insisted I give her some space. I thought it was best at the time since she looked visibly shaken up by the argument. When I prodded her for more information later, she told me not to worry about it. That she handled it." 

"Any idea what it could've been about?" 

"I don't know-but she looked awful. Physically, I mean." 

"Do you think Wyatt knows about the amount of power she possesses?" Chris questioned. He let go of Peyton's hand and replied, "Something must've happened. If you're rightWyatt doesn't scare easy. He's too smug to fear anyone else, but that might change if he knew there was someone out there stronger than he was, someone who could put a stop to his plans. And, in a case like that, he'd want to get rid of the person, but he can't in this case," Chris stopped to try and make sense of his thoughts. It was hard at the moment when his emotions wanted to guide the situation. He could imagine his sister chiding him, calling him a hothead, and forcing him to take a few deep breathes. Always so self-possessed, which was why her metamorphose in the caverns petrified him so much. 

Chris covered his face with his hands, his lame attempt at regaining a clear head, and went on, "Combine Wyatt's behavior with the vibe I was getting from Peyton and it equals something screwy." 

"If Peyton is up to something, there's a reason for it." 

"I don't care about her reasons. I care about my sister's well being and what happened today? That wasn't good, Eddie. It was extremely bad. That kind of usage of power could kill her." 

"You really think that could happen?" 

Chris shrugged and answered, "I don't know, but whatever is going on with her, I get the distinct impression that it's not good." 

Eddie shut his eyes against Chris' grim outlook and admitted, "Me too." 

"She's up to something." 

"Did she say how she ended up in with the Scorios?" 

"No, but I can't imagine how they could get so close to her without her being able to fight back." 

"If she was overpowered by a large group of them, it might've been hard to fight them all off." 

"Something's not right about this. There is too much that doesn't add up, which screams Peyton has a plan and that never bodes well for _anyone_," Chris replied. He sighed and said, "But there's nothing I can do until she wakes up." 

"And then only if she tells us what's going on." 

"Oh, she'll tell us. I don't care if I have to use a spell to retrieve the information," Chris stated matter-of-factly. He stood up, brushed his fingers over the top of his sister's hand one last time, and said, "I'll give you some time alone with her." 

"Thanks." 

"I'll go handle the parental units, answer some of their questions and see what they've come up with. Once she wakes up, we're going to have a lot to get done in a short period of time," Chris said. 

Eddie blinked and Chris was gone. He wasn't sure if he was grateful for the time alone with Peyton or anxious about it. At least when Chris was sitting there with him, he didn't have time to focus on the negative or the fact that Peyton looked so fragile. 

Eddie slid down until he was lying down next to Peyton. He sidled in close enough to feel her heart beating against his chest and it provided a small amount of comfort. She was still with him and that was a good sign, that was all he could ask for right now. He let out a loud breath, emptying out the chaos going on inside of him. He had been going on pure adrenaline for the past few days, guided by the one goal of getting Peyton back, but he was starting to feel the heaviness of exhaustion set in as he breathed in and out heavily. It mixed with the tapping sound of rain on the glass pane and the hiss of a fan on its swing to the left, blowing small frays of hair onto his forehead. 

The moment was anything less than extraordinary. He was achy, panicked, and exhausted, but determined to wait those out until Peyton smiled at him again. There was nothing spectacular about the ambiance or the situation or even his emotions. If anything it was cockeyed and depressing, full of mistakes and things he wished he had done differently. But it was a moment all the same and Eddie embraced it completely. 

There were so many times Peyton had tried to break things off with him. She swore that she would end up hurting him, either physically or mentally, but he refused to listen to her. It wasn't that he didn't see where she was coming from. On a logical level, he knew she was right. Prudence told him that a life with her would be full of chaos and the possibility of loss looming around him the same way it did to her and Chris. Eddie even attempted to act on that fear once when they were eighteen, worried that if he stayed with her much longer it would be that much harder to let her go. He recalled actually uttering the words, "I think we need a break" even though he didn't want it at all. He just knew that was what he _should've_ wanted-to be free of the pandemonium that came with caring for a Halliwell-and acted on it. 

It was the stupidest thing he had ever done and thank god she took him back. Thank God. She was his everything, most likely had been from the first time they met though he didn't understand it then, and losing her because of stupidity would be far worse than any alternative. He had realized that despite all of the craziness and danger and whatever else, it was worth it to love her and have those feelings returned. Her smile, the smoothness of the skin on her stomach, the sparkle in her green eyes when she played a practical joke on him. It made everything okay. It provided that important connection to life and he knew he wouldn't die unfulfilled if he loved Peyton. That was an impossibility. 

It didn't make watching her motionless form any easier though and it wouldn't be enough to get him through a life without her. 

Eddie remained lost in his thoughts, not sure of how much time had passed, until he heard a slight rustling of the sheets beside him. He tilted his head and saw Peyton staring at him. Relief coursed through him, causing renegade tears to fall against his best attempts to stop them. He wrapped her up in his arms, pulling her as close as he could, sure that if it was possible, he would pull her inside of him to keep her safe, and said, "Please tell me this wasn't part of your stupid plan." 

"It wasn't a stupid planexactly." 

"You could've died, Peyton." 

Peyton didn't say anything at first. She laid there, against him, tracing her fingers over his forearm, lost in thought. Eddie was grateful she didn't attempt to offer some excuse because he was pretty sure he would lose what little control of his temper he still had. She nuzzled her head in under the crook of his chin and finally said, "Chris knows, doesn't he?" 

"He knows you're up to something." 

"What did you tell him?" 

Eddie gritted his teeth together and forced out, "It's not like you told me much, love." 

"It's best if you don't know." 

"Best for whom?" he questioned. He ran his fingers through her hair and kissed the top of her head before adding, "Have I gone on record as stating that this is not a good idea? Chris mentioned that whatever you did back there-" 

"_That_ wasn't part of the plan." 

"That was quite obvious, sweetheart," Eddie replied, intertwining his hand with hers. The shock of everything that happened the past few days started to hit him as he felt her pulse against his palm. His voice became thick with emotion and he said, "You scared the hell out of me, Peyton. We had a deal." 

"I didn't-" 

"You promised that this 'great idea' of yours wouldn't put you in harm's way," Eddie cut her off. He chucked her chin and said, "Chris would help you if you'd let him. For the life of me, I'll never understand why the two of you behave like stubborn loons, insisting on going about things half-assed and all alone when it's obvious to everyone else that you work best as a team." 

"The power of two." 

"Pardon?" 

Peyton sighed and said, "My mother used to call it the power of two, going on about how important it was that we work as a team-that where one of our powers ended, the other's began." 

"Your mother was a smart lady." 

Peyton nodded and for a brief second Eddie thought that he had gotten through to her, but it quickly dissipated as she replied, "Chris can't know about this, Eddie. Chris isn't ready for what has to happen." 

"And what, pray tell, has to happen?" Eddie questioned with a rise of his eyebrows and calculated stare in Peyton's direction. He didn't have a good feeling about any of this, but he was too tired to argue with Peyton right now. All he wanted to do for the time being was hold her in his arms and try to sleep away the image of her so close to death. 

"Nothing you need be concerned with." 

He crossed his arms and replied, "Is that a fact? I bet your brother would disagree." 

"You swore you wouldn't say anything." 

Eddie shook his head and replied, "Again, I'm going to point out that you barely told me anything. For example, I don't ever recall you mentioning that you were going to sacrifice yourself for Wyatt." 

"I wasn't planning to sacrifice myself," Peyton countered. She retook his hand, squeezed it, and asked, "What has Chris figured out?" 

"If you're asking if he knows that you sought out the Scorios, then no. He doesn't know. I believe he's blaming Wyatt at the moment." 

"That's not good either." 

"Your brother is fairly intelligent, Peyton. He's going to put it together soon enough." 

"I expected as much," Peyton replied. She sat herself up. Her breath momentarily caught in her throat when she realized where she was. Eddie picked up on it immediately and kept a steady hold on her. Peyton pushed aside a few tears that fell and croaked out, "My mother's-why did Chris bring me here?" 

"You didn't leave him much choice, sweetheart, when you passed out like that." 

Peyton stood up, fingering a photograph of her parents and Wyatt at his first birthday. She glanced upward before focusing on Eddie's gaze and stated, "This changes everything." 

_(to be continued...)_


End file.
